In a remarkable feat bound to push Japan far ahead of its neighbors in Asia, Fujitsu and research institute Riken has successfully developed Japan’s second quantum computer as part of research efforts worldwide to make the nascent technology practical.
The 64-qubit quantum computer from Fujitsu and state-backed Riken will be integrated with a 40-qubit quantum computer simulator, as researchers work to eliminate the errors that prevent such systems from providing accurate results.
“It’s kind of a first or second step; we still have a long way to go,” Shintaro Sato, head of Fujitsu’s quantum laboratory, told reporters.
Governments and companies, including IBM and Alphabet, are pouring funds into research for quantum computers, which promise to become millions of times faster than the fastest supercomputers.
IBM last year launched a 433-qubit quantum computer. Qubits, or quantum bits, measure the power of quantum computers, which use quantum mechanics.
China, the US, and allied industrial democracies are racing to take the lead in advanced technology, including quantum computing. President Joe Biden is moving to hamper some U.S. investment in Chinese technology development efforts.
